Patrik Laine has been on the trade block all summer long, and while we're no closer to a deal, he has been linked to five more teams. After months of speculation, we may be closing in on a Patrik Laine trade, but after his suitors were dwindled down to the Montreal Canadiens, five more teams have entered the race for the 26-year old. The report comes from Eklund of Hockey Buzz, who reveals the front runners for Laine may now be the Chicago Blackhawks, who have dreams of pairing Laine with 19-year old superstar Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi on what would be a very intriguing top line. <q>Specific to Patrik Laine, I've heard that the Chicago Blackhawks are the No. 1 team that is eager to acquire him for a fresh start in another city. The idea of getting Laine together with Connor Bedard makes a TON of sense. Have also heard Carolina, the Islanders and LA have interest. Utah is a dark horse.</q> On top of that, the Hurricanes continue to be an interested party as they look to add some flair to the lineup that has struggled down the stretch in recent years, with Utah described as a 'dark horse' to land the former 40-goal scorer. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1818295605849989149'> </a></blockquote></div> Unfortunately, we are no closer now to a deal than we were a few weeks ago, even after he was released from the NHLPA's Player Assistance Program, but with so many more suitors now emerging, we may see a bidding war heat up. In 2023/24, Laine skated in just 18 games after seasons of 22 and 26 goals, and with his prime still to come, there will be a team in this group banking on the fact that they can help him turn his career around. Source: Hockey Buzz <a href='https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Chicago-Pushing-for-Laine-E3/1/125943?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR14cGXQ4ZXszgcv8Q2YMhV17hTEWh8k9tqYHl1VnYgbDvczMzRzrSQMvac_aem_tkHBkirSMDTSmH-fTQa_Fg' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Chicago Pushing for Laine (E3)</a>